Game 32 : Habs vs Bruins

Talk about a heart breaker! Last night was a tough one to swallow. Generally speaking the Habs have a tough time coming back when trailing, but last night it really looked like it was going to happen. Made me think of the historic 5-0 comeback we had a few seasons back. I know it's comparing apples to oranges, but the way things have gone lately, it would of meant the same to me. Either way, we got some unlucky breaks, mixed with some rookie mistakes, and it cost us a much needed 2 points. An overtime loss would of been OK at that point. Moving ahead!

Tonight the Bruins (16-9-4) roll into Montreal (18-11-2) for an original six showdown. This is a game that really excited me. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a die hard Montreal Canadiens fan, but over the past few years the Boston Bruins started to create a small place in side my heart. There is no chance that I am cheering against my Blue Blanc Rouge, but I'm stoked to watch these two eastern conference power houses square off. I can easily say this is my favorite match up.

Heading into the 2nd of 6 meetings this year, these two teams are both coming off small but substantial losing streaks. The Bruins fell to the hands of Philadelphia early in the week, and we're stung hard with a loss to the mediocre Sabres last night. Both these teams will be quick out the gate, and I'm predicting an intense first period.

The Habs defense will have their hands full tonight. The depth chart in Boston is deep. They are getting great support from all their players this year. From the youth, to their veterans, Boston combines for a total of 83 goals for, 3 more than the Habs. Compared to some teams that doesn't sounds that impressive but if you take a closer look you'll see that every line is contributing. From Milan Lucic to Michael Ryder, this team has gelled very well, and will only get better once Savard ( 3rd line center at the moment) gets back into his groove.

Max Pacioretty played his first game this season for the Habs last night, and despite the loss, it was amazing to watch. Reuniting him with Gionta and Gomez, it seemed like Gomez came alive. They created a ton of pressure inside the Flyers zone, and wthl a bit more ice time together I think they might be another solid line combination for the Habs this season. In doing so, we got to see the Plekanec, Cammalleri and Kostitsyn line reunited as well. I wasn't overly pleased with JM's constant switch of Kostitsyn from 1st to fourth line. I thought AK had a great game last night (5 SOG) but just wasn't given enough faith and time to produce. I hope to see him on the first line tonight the entire game.

Expect to see Carey Price back in nets tonight. After what looked like his worse game of the season (5 Goals against) Price looks to battle back. 31 games into the season and it was the first time I told myself, "damn, he should of had that one." I'm talking about the 2nd goal, and the Zherdev wrap around later in the game. But hey, no complaints from me on Price at all this season. Just an observation ;)

Tim Thomas is expected in nets for Boston tonight. What a season he is having. It's like watching his Vezina Trophy year all over again. He's been stellar with a 14-2-3 record, 1.51 GAA and a .950 Sv%. He will make it tough for us to score tonight to say the least.

Bruins could play this game without Rookie centerman Tyler Seguin, who missed the last game with the flu. They will also be without defenseman Mark Stuart. Habs are only without Mr. Markov.

Original Six showdown starts at 7:00pm and is being aired on RDS and CBC.

3 Comments

Looking forward to tonight as well... will miss a part of it thanks to Christmas Tree shopping, lol (so no liveblog tonight unfortunately) but it's going to be a good one. Both teams coming off losses last night and need a big win. Habs could lose the division, Bruins could take it, so this is the true definition of a 4 point game. Going to be some good old time hockey